As with many others, the discovery of kefir was rather fortuitous. Like other healthy and natural products, its origins are traditional and agricultural.
This story begins in the Caucasus region, in the border between Europe and Asia.
Everyday, the shepherds tended to their flocks, in the vast fields of the Caucasus mountain. They would gather the milk they could from the animals, in leather pouches. However, soon they discovered that sometimes the contents of the pouches fermented into an effervescent drink. White grains would form in these pouches, helping to create this beverage. Kephir was probably named after the turkish words keyif or köpür, meaning "pleasure" and "milk froth".
From then on, they gathered the grains that originated the drink. They would mix them with milk from cows, goats or sheep, storing the mixture in skin bags that they would hang from the doors. The reason for this was so that when anyone passed by they were expected to gently nudge them, to guarantee that the liquid and the grains would blend properly.
Some say that there are written references to kephir as far back as the 12th century, from the records of Marco Polo's travels. For how long this drink and method have been around, passed on traditionally through the generations, it is uncertain. Kephir is an integral part of many cultures.
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